Come see us in SOBA from 9a to 1p on Valentine's Day for a cup of hot chocolate to warm your heart!

UE Music faculty member Michael Chu (violin) and Garnet Ungar (piano) will present a recital on 2/6 @ 7:30pm in Wheeler Concert Hall. Program to include works by Valentin Silvestrov, Eugène Ysaÿe, and Franz Schubert. This event is free and open to the public.

Join Venturing Crew on March 1-March 6 for a trip to remember in North Carolina for only $75!

We will have 2 spring break options!

Hanging out in a base camp exploring the mountains, waterfalls while in a cabin that is right on a mountain lake.

There will also be a second group, weather permitting that will be backpacking the Art Loeb Trail!

Email me at venturing@evansville.edu to ask more questions and sign up!

We will also have tables at the following dates and times if you want to learn more and sign up!

Feb 1 Thursday (12:30-2:30)

Feb 2 Friday (1-3)

Feb 9 Friday (12:30-2:30)

Feb 15 Thursday (4:30-6:30)

Feb 16 Friday (12:30-2:30)

Feb 22 Thursday (12:30-2:30)

It is no surprise how much UE loves Harlaxton.

That is why we are inviting you to celebrate with us on February 14 for a special "We Love Harlaxton Day!"

Wear your Harlaxton gear on campus on Valentine's Day and you might get a sweet treat from a patroller.

Are you a new employee in need of a headshot, or have you been working at UE for awhile and need an updated one? Photographer Chris Berneking will be on campus next Tuesday, February 6, at 2:15 p.m. for headshots. If you would like to be added to the list, please contact Julie Beer at jb855. Headshots will be taken outdoors on the front oval lawn. In the event of rain, they will be moved inside the SOBA atrium.

Join the Center for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion along with UE panelist for a discussion on their FREEdom of their hair in showing up in higher education settings.

Lunch will be provided and registration is required (scan the QR code to register) OR click to register.

The Catapult Student Leadership Conference is a half-day event full of networking and leadership development. Each year, attendees gain leadership-related knowledge from a destinguished keynote speaker and a variety of breakout sessions put on by community leaders and UE faculty/ staff.

This year, speakers include (but are not limited to):

- City of Evansville 35th Mayor, Stephanie Terry

- Dean of Students and Vice President for Student Affairs, Dr. Rachel Carpenter

- Marketing Coordinator for Evansville Promise Neighborhood, Irais Ibarra

Register using UEngage before February 5 to secure your place. The first 50 students will receive a free gift. Lunch is included.

The Department of Art is pleased to welcome the spring 2024 Efroymson Artist in Residence, Shannon Bourn. Her exhibit, "I SEE YOU", will be open from January 22 - February 24, 2024 in the Melvin Peterson Gallery. Ms. Bourn will lead a student lecture and several student workshops during her residency in the Melvin Peterson Gallery. These events are supported by the Efroymson Family Fund.

Please plan to attend the public reception and lecture in the Melvin Peterson Gallery on Thursday, February 15 at 6:30 pm.

Free STD testing event on Friday, February 9th from 11:30-2:30 in lot H by the Carson Center. Look for the Vanderburgh Co. Health Department mobile unit for incentinves, information, and free testing! Anyone is welcome!

The University of Evansville's Center for Innovation & Change is excited to announce that Evansville NewsLab, a UE ChangeLab, has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Listening Post Collective, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting innovative community-driven journalism projects.

The grant will support the ChangeLab in expanding its efforts to foster community engagement and promote civic journalism in the Evansville area. The funds will be used to enhance the organization's community outreach initiatives in Spring 2024 as they conduct community-wide research through surveys and focus groups to help develop a civic journalism hub in Evansville.

"We are thrilled to receive this generous grant from the Listening Post Collective," said Andrew Carter, Associate Director of UE's Center for Innovation & Change and coach for the NewsLab course. "We are committed to adding a civic journalism component to local news that promotes a more vibrant media landscape with better informed and engaged citizens." Evansville NewsLab will be making more announcements about the initiative as it rolls out in 2024.

The Listening Post Collective focuses on supporting projects that prioritize community voices, encourage civic participation, and foster inclusive and equitable journalism practices. The grant reflects the organization's recognition of the NewsLab's dedication to amplifying diverse perspectives and building bridges between local residents, local government, and the media.

"We are excited to partner with Evansville NewsLab ChangeLab and support their goals of making local journalism more accessible and representative," said Grace Northern, Program Officer at the Listening Post Collective. "Their commitment to empowering citizens through civic information aligns perfectly with our mission, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact of their projects on the Evansville community."

Evansville NewsLab is proud to partner with Our Times, Evansville's Black-owned newspaper, to establish a community-driven civic journalism model in Evansville and encourages residents of Evansville and the surrounding areas to get involved in shaping the narrative of their community. The grant will facilitate focus groups, listening sessions, and survey distribution to empower individuals to tell their own stories and contribute to a more diverse and inclusive local media landscape.

About Evansville NewsLab ChangeLab

ChangeLabs are academic courses offered at the University of Evansville for students to earn academic credit while working on projects that make an impact in the community. Evansville NewsLab is a community-driven journalism initiative dedicated to fostering meaningful connections between media outlets and the local community. Through innovative projects and collaborative efforts, the lab seeks to amplify diverse voices and empower citizens to actively participate in shaping the narrative of Evansville. Students in this the NewsLab are mentored by Steve Burger, Andrew Carter, Erin Hempfling, and Guy Sides.

About Listening Post Collective

Listening Post Collective is a nonprofit organization that supports and promotes community-driven journalism projects. By providing grants, resources, and guidance through their Civic Media Playbook, the organization aims to empower communities to create their own narratives, fostering a more inclusive and participatory media landscape.

High school students throughout the Tri-State and beyond were awarded significant scholarships on Saturday at the University of Evansville's tenth High School Changemaker Challenge, made possible by Toyota Indiana. The challenge is designed to motivate young people to take a leading role in identifying and solving challenges in the world through innovation and creativity.

UE has committed more than $1 million in scholarships to winners of this competition since its inception. Those who choose UE as their college destination will each receive four-year scholarships as listed below:

1st place: Full tuition

SolarLens: Jacob Barnwell and Elie Duff (New Tech Institute, Evansville, Ind.)

Summary: SolarLens is a solar powered streetlight with a monitored dome camera attached to it. It will all be in one unit and established into the Evansville Promise Neighborhood to help improve the quality of life by saving money on energy and helping lower the crime rate in the city of Evansville.

2nd place: $27,000 per year

UpLift18: Claire Deardorff and Jennifer Vazquez (Signature School, Evansville, Ind.)

Summary: UpLift18 raises awareness about human trafficking by providing education, prevention, student empowerment, and community service opportunities. UpLift18 creates a meaningful impact for students in fighting human trafficking.

3rd place: $23,000 per year

Boomerang Learning: Kris Lau, Abdul-Aleem Mohammed, and Parth Patel (Signature School, Evansville, Ind.)

Summary: Boomerang Learning is program to help students that have had trouble catching up to Indiana standards post COVID and to help students who are falling behind their peers.

The book for February is The Kindest Lie by Nancy Johnson.

A promise could betray you.

It’s 2008, and the inauguration of President Barack Obama ushers in a new kind of hope. In Chicago, Ruth Tuttle, an Ivy-League educated Black engineer, is married to a kind and successful man. He’s eager to start a family, but Ruth is uncertain. She has never gotten over the baby she gave birth to—and was forced to leave behind—when she was a teenager. She had promised her family she’d never look back, but Ruth knows that to move forward, she must make peace with the past.

Returning home, Ruth discovers the Indiana factory town of her youth is plagued by unemployment, racism, and despair. As she begins digging into the past, she unexpectedly befriends Midnight, a young white boy who is also adrift and looking for connection. Just as Ruth is about to uncover a burning secret her family desperately wants to keep hidden, a traumatic incident strains the town’s already searing racial tensions, sending Ruth and Midnight on a collision course that could upend both their lives.

Powerful and revealing, The Kindest Lie captures the heartbreaking divide between Black and white communities and offers both an unflinching view of motherhood in contemporary America and the never-ending quest to achieve the American Dream.

(From goodreads.com)

"The Kindest Lie is a deep dive into how we define family, what it means to be a mother, and what it means to grow up Black. This beautifully crafted debut will keep you asking these questions and more." - Jodi Picoult

Join us Wednesday Feb 28th in the Philips Alcove (2nd floor Ridgway across from CDEI) to discuss the book.

Come join us in the Eatery on February 13 for a Mardi Gras inspired lunch! Featuring gumbo, jambalaya, beignets, and more!

We are lighting up the week with KINDNESS! Mark your calendars for Feb 12 through 16th where we will be giving away goodies at our DELIGHTFUL event!

The School of Engineering and Computer Science will be hosting the Soutwestern Indiana Regional MATHCounts competition on Saturday February 10 in Eykamp Hall. Middle School Students from across the region with be on campus to compete. We are in need of 4-5 volunteers to assist with registration and/or scoring. Volunteers are needed from 8:00 am until noon. Please contact Tonya Albright, Administrative Assistant for the School of Engineering and Computer Science, (ta58@evansville.edu) if you are intersted in volunteering.

TIAA-CREF Counseling Appointments for Spring 2024      

The TIAA-CREF representative will be back on the UE campus for individual counseling sessions.

• January 25
• February 21
• March 20

To schedule an appointment, please visit www.tiaa.org/schedulenow. The sessions are held in the Eades Music Room, SOBA 153.

Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry recently announced plans to create an Interfaith Council. Among the religious leaders appointed to the council, UE Chaplain Rev. Andy Payton has joined the group, which will advise Mayor Terry on matters that affect the spiritual, faith, and religious well-being of the community.

The Council will also assist in planning community Interfaith gatherings and programs that foster education and inclusivity in schools, businesses, and within the larger community; and will work to address issues of discrimination, bigotry, xenophobia, homophobia, antisemitism, and Islamophobia.

The General Board of Higher Education & Ministry awards scholarships to United Methodist college students in the United States. The Fall 2024 deadline to apply for these scholarships is March 13th. To apply or get more information about the application process, visit GBHEM.org.

Career Day 2024

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

12:00pm-3:00pm

Eykamp Hall, RUC

Don't miss our last career fair of the year! Join us on February 6th to network with more than 50 local and regional employers, who will be recruiting from ALL majors for full time, part time and internship positions.

Log into Handshake to see a complete list of registered employers and to register for this event.

Hello everybody! I am excited to announce that Total Fit is back! Total Fit is a fitness class that focuses on having a strong body, mind, and sprirt. This class is open to anyone and everyone regardless of your current fitness level. Please come wearing athletic clothes and shoes, and bring a water bottle! We will be meeting once a week every Wednesday morning in the Carson Center from 8:30-9:30 am, in the aerobic room (the room with all the mirrors).

If you have any questions please contact Owen Lawrence (ol29@evansville.edu).

Hope to see you at our first class on Wednesday, January 24th!

Free, confidential HIV and Hepatitis C testing at the Student Health Center, first Wednesday of every month, from 9-11am. No appointment necessary. All students and faculty welcome!

Walmart giftcards available while supplies last!

Congratulations to Emily Jagielo, Financial Aid Counselor/Work Study Coordinator in the Office of Student Financial Services, on the birth of her baby girl! Bronwyn Von Jagielo was born on January 19, 2024 and she weighed 7 lbs. 3.8 oz. and was 20" long. Emily will be back to work in March, but until then, work study questions can be directed to MaryAnn Catt Kidwell.

Sophomore thrower Gwen Darrah continues to improve her weight throw as a small group of the University of Evansville track and field team competed in Terre Haute.

The Purple Aces throwers and runner Sarah Vanderhoof-Dossett (Franklin, Tenn. / Independence HS) set three PRs and one season-best at the Blue-White Classic hosted by Indiana State. Darrah (Cleveland, Ohio / Orange HS) improved on the women's weight throw record with a 14.45-meter throw for fifth place. UE also saw top five finishes from Zach Dove (Princeton, Ind. / Princeton Community HS) in both the men's shot put and the men's weight throw, Jaden Hayes (Huntingburg, Ind. / Southridge HS) in the men's weight throw, and Vanderhoof-Dossett in the women's mile.

As Evansville's lone runner, Vanderhoof-Dossett ran the mile in 5:27.89. She was also slated to run the 3000-meter but was unable to start. For the Aces throwers on the women's side, Darrah had a record day in the weight throw while two others competed in the event. Senior Hannah Bryan (Evansville, Ind. / Reitz HS) had a top 10 finish with a throw of 10.30 meters while freshman Jillian Miller (Boonville, Ind. / Boonville HS) placed 12th with a throw of 9.30 meters. UE had three women compete in the shot put as well with Miller leading the way at eighth throwing for 9.08 meters and a personal record. Junior Kaitlyn Sansone (Fairfield, Ohio / Mercy McAuley HS) finished ninth with a throw of 9.05 meters and Brooke Springer (Henderson, Ky. / Henderson Community HS) was 10th with a throw of 8.96 meters.

On the men's side, Dove and Hayes had strong outings for Evansville. Dove threw a season-best weight throw of 17.19 meters for a podium finish of third place. Hayes also set a PR in the weight throw, finishing in fourth with a 16.99-meter throw. Freshman Cole Johnson had his first outing in the weight throw with a throw of 12.20 meters. Dove and Hayes also competed in the shot put, finishing fifth and eighth with throws of 14.52 meters and 13.64 meters respectively.

The entire Purple Aces track and field team returns to action next week at the Music City Challenge hosted by Vanderbilt.

University of Evansville graduate first baseman Chase Hug (Indianapolis, Ind./Olney Central/Pike) was ranked among D1Baseball.com’s Top 50 first basemen entering the 2024 season on Friday.  Evansville also had its series-opening game at Indiana State on Friday, May 10 selected for coverage on ESPNU, per an announcement from the Missouri Valley Conference.

Hug ranked 29th among the country’s top first basemen according to D1Baseball.com, one of the premiere collegiate baseball websites.  Hug earned first team all-Missouri Valley Conference honors and MVC All-Defensive team accolades last year after hitting a team-best .311 with 15 doubles, three triples, 14 home runs, 48 RBI and 51 runs scored.  Hug was also named to the MVC All-Tournament Team last May after hitting a pair of home runs in the conference tournament, including his dramatic two-strike, two-out grand slam against Indiana State to win the first of two MVC Tournament finals.

With Evansville and Indiana State squaring off in the Valley Tournament final last year, and with both teams featuring veteran rosters who could potentially vie for the MVC regular-season title this year, the MVC announced on Friday that the series-opener between UE and Indiana State on Friday, May 10 in Terre Haute will be broadcast on ESPNU nationally.  It marks the second year in a row in which the Purple Aces have been selected to play in an ESPNU broadcast.  Evansville returns seven position starters from last year’s 37-24 squad which advanced to the MVC Tournament final, while Indiana State is coming off of a 45-17 season in which they advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals.

Season tickets for UE baseball are currently on sale.  Tickets can be purchased by phone by calling the UE Athletic Ticket Department at 812-488-2623.  Tickets can also be purchased on-line at GoPurpleAces.com/Tickets through HomeTown Ticketing.

The 2024 UE baseball season will kick off February 16 at 2023 College World Series participant Oral Roberts.

The University of Evansville track and field team continues to break running records in its first meet of February. 

The Purple Aces runners had a strong showing at the PNC Bank Bellarmine Classic hosted by the Knights on Friday. Three new records were set by UE while the 4x400 relay teams all update their previous records from earlier in the season. The men's relay team of Austin Liversgowdy (Florence, Ky. / Cooper HS), Raymond Felton III (Houston / Clear Brook HS), Alvaro Monfort (Castile Y Leon, Spain), and Cedrik Flipo (Beloil, Quebec, Canada) finished 4th. It improved the previous record by over three seconds at 3:19.68. While the women's relay team of Taylor Johnson (Evansville, Ind. / Reitz HS), Eilen Brenne (Skien, Norway), Nayla Martin (Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec, Canada), and Nicole Prauchner (Neuhofen an der Ybbs, Austria) improved their time by five seconds with a time of 3:58.59.

But the first record of the meet broken for the Aces came from sophomore Kate Walke (Batesville, Ind. / Oldenburg Academy) in the 60-meter hurdles. Walke ran a sub-10-second hurdle at 9.81 to break the 2018 record set by Samantha Bittner. Flipo continued to break decades-old records in his second meet of the season, setting a new men's 800-meter record that hadn't been touched since 1983. The freshman runner completed the 800-meter in 1:52.86 for sixth place among 55 finishers. Evansville's final record of the day came from the hometown kid as Johnson added a third program record to her belt in her brief career. Johnson set a new mark for the 200-meter sprint at 25.39, taking over a second off the 2022 record.

On the men's side in Louisville, nine runners set new personal bests starting with junior Antwaun Powell (Ringgold, Ga. / Heritage HS) in the 60-meter dash at 7.61 seconds. The only other sprint PR at the Bellarmine Classic came for Liversgowdy in the 200-meter race with a time of 22.92 seconds. Four runners set new PRs in the 800-meter race along with Flipo. Monfort and Rafael Rodriguez (Segovia, Spain) finished in the Top 10 with times of 1:54.13 and 1:54.53. Jakub Nowicki (Poznan, Poland) and Tommaso Losma (Lombardia, Italy) PR's in the 800 came at times of 1:56.69 and 1:59.69. The last PR on Friday for the UE men came in the mile race for Samuel Lea (Worchester, England) with a time of 4:20.98. 

The women also had multiple PRs during the Bellarmine Classic with eight throughout the day. Similar to the men's team, the Aces women had multiple 800-meter PR results from Brenne at 2:14.44, Kalina Urbaniak (Suchy Las, Poland) at 2:15.69, and Martin with a time of 2:17.86. All three finished in the Top 15 in the event while Brenne led the pack in fifth place. Two runners also set PRs in the mile as Sonja Inzinger (Mautern an der Donau, Austria) ran in 5:05.99 and Kyndall Anthis (Pakota, Ind. / Princeton Community HS) ran a 5:39.92. The women's final PR of the day was Prauchner's in the 400-meter race as she finished in under a minute at 59.61 seconds.

UE's throwers will be in action tomorrow morning at the Blue-White Classic hosted by Indiana State. Field events in Terre Haute will begin at 11 a.m. with the women's weight throw. Evansville's runners and throwers will be back at the same meet next weekend for the Music City Challenge on Feb. 9 and Feb. 10.

Kenny Strawbridge Jr. led a balanced attack for the University of Evansville men’s basketball team as the Purple Aces outlasted Valparaiso for a 63-62 victory at The ARC.

Strawbridge recorded 14 points on an efficient 6-of-8 performance.  Yacine Toumi and Antonio Thomas recorded 10 points apiece.  Toumi converted 4 of his 5 attempts while Thomas drained a pair of clutch triples.  Josh Hughes finished with nine points while Ben Humrichous scored eight.  Tanner Cuff was the game’s top rebounder with eight.  Cooper Schwieger tallied a game-high 22 points while Isaiah Stafford posted 15.

“This was a gutsy win for us.  Valpo came into the game playing with a great deal of confidence.  They had some success early in the game but we made some defensive adjustments that helped in the second half,” UE head men’s basketball coach David Ragland exclaimed.  “Playing any game in our league is tough but playing on the road is even tougher.  I am proud of the guys for their response and sticking with it.”

Valparaiso had a quick start, scoring the first five points of the day before capping a 4-for-4 start from the field to take a 10-3 advantage.  Seven in a row from the Purple Aces tied the game just over three minutes in.  Antonio Thomas connected from downtown before Kenny Strawbridge Jr. tied it up with a pair of free throws.

Another triple by the Beacons, their third in four tries, put them back up 13-10.  Valpo continued to lead until UE rallied to tie the score at 18-18 before a layup by Ben Humrichous gave the Aces their first advantage of the game at 22-20 at the 6:57 mark.  Inside of three minutes remaining, Josh Hughes hit a turnaround jumper to match Evansville’s largest lead at 28-25.

Five late points by Cooper Schwieger highlighted a 7-2 run by Valparaiso to end the half.  Schwieger’s 16 points in the opening stanza saw VU hold a 32-30 edge at halftime.

Toumi and Humrichous took over on both ends of the floor to open the second half.  Each recorded a block in the opening minute while Toumi posted the first four UE points of the period before two Humrichous free throws gave the Aces a 36-32 advantage.  The Beacons countered to retake a 40-38 lead at the 15:23 mark before Evansville jumped back in front.

Josh Hughes knocked down a pair of 3-pointers in an 8-0 run that gave Evansville a 46-40 edge, the largest lead either team had enjoyed to that point.  Five in a row by the Beacons got them within one, but UE fended off the challenge to go back up by three on a Tanner Cuff bucket.  Inside of six minutes remaining, Valpo drained its seventh triple of the afternoon to knot the game at 54-54.

With 3:07 on the clock, Thomas connected on his second 3-pointer of the afternoon to put eh Aces back up by three.  The Beacons answered with 1:30 remaining with a game-tying triple.  Toumi connected on a short jumper in the next possession before hauling in a defensive board that gave the ball back to UE with 44 ticks left.  A missed triple by the Aces put the ball back in the Beacon’s hands for the final 12 seconds.  With tie winding down, the Beacons headed to the line to shoot two free throws.  After making the first, the second one came up short as UE clinched its first MVC road win in two years.

Evansville shot 46.2% in the contest while holding the Beacons to 41.3%.  On the boards, UE finished with a 36-29 advantage.  Saturday’s win was the first conference road win for the Aces since a 65-56 victory over Indiana State on Feb. 8, 2022.  It was Coach Ragland’s first MVC road triumph and clinched his first season sweep over a league opponent.

On Wednesday, the Aces return home to face Bradley.

In a back-and-forth battle to celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day, the University of Evansville women’s basketball came just short in a 79-72 loss to the Bradley Braves.

In front of their largest crowd in Meeks Family Fieldhouse, the Purple Aces returned from a 13-point deficit in the third quarter to a one-point game. But it wasn’t enough to get past the Braves as UE had no points in the final two and a half minutes. Evansville had two players in double-figures as freshman forwards Nevaeh Thomas and Maggie Hartwig had 19 and 14 points respectively.

“It was definitely a heartbreaker, but what an awesome environment,” said Head Coach Robyn Scherr-Wells following the game. “Thank you so much to Fifth Third Bank for sponsoring our National Girls and Women in Sports Day. It was so awesome to see all the young girls in the stands who got to participate in our sports clinic today at UE.

“They provided a great atmosphere. And when you lose a tough game like that, those young girls just know that they saw a great game and an exciting game. It was just so cool to see them in the autograph line with our players. And I think its good for our players too when it’s a tough loss to put things in perspective. We still get to be role models. There were a lot of positives from the game today even though it didn’t go our way,”.

It was all defense to start Saturday’s game celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day. The Aces had the first lead of the night with a layup 12 seconds in. Bradley’s leading player Halle Poock immediately responded with a three before both teams had a two-minute lull. UE tied the game up before the halfway mark of the quarter on free throws. The lead changed hands with 2:44 on the clock as Thomas made a second chance layup. But an 8-2 run for the Braves made it a four-point deficit for Evansville.

The teams traded shots to start the second half. The Aces used some momentum for a four-point run, tying the game for the fourth time. Four-point runs were the name of the game in the second quarter as UE and Bradley swapped back-to-back runs. That was followed by an over two-minute stretch of back-and-forth shots to give Evansville the lead twice. The Braves again ended the quarter on a longer run, going ahead 32-28.

While the first half was characterized by defense, the second half was all offense. Both teams scored over 30 points in the third quarter with the Aces just barely coming out below. Bradley used its momentum from the end of the second to make it a seven-point game. UE cut in with layups to get the game back down to only a five-point deficit four times in the third quarter. But multiple three-point plays for the Braves soon made it a 13-point game. Evansville was able to get the game back down to three points with under a minute to go. A foul in the final 10 seconds again had the Aces down by five.

UE opened scoring in the final quarter with a second-chance layup from guard Julia Palomo. Palomo had five points in the fourth quarter alone, being Evansville’s leader early as she broke up a Bradley run with another layup. Guard Madline Gerke followed up with her lone three-pointer of the night to make it a one-possession game.  The teams returned to trading shots for the next two minutes. A free throw for Palomo with 2:27 left made it only a one-point game. But the Aces offense went quiet for the final two minutes in the 79-72 loss.

UE hits the road for its next two games, seeing teams that were in Meeks only a week ago. Evansville makes a stop in Chicago first for a 7 p.m. tip-off against the UIC Flames. The Aces will round out their road trip with a game in Valparaiso on Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Purple Aces will be celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day during their game Saturday against the Bradley Braves. To celebrate, UE Athletics is hosting a clinic with area girls to introduce them to sports offered at Evansville. The girls will also get to see the game against Bradley for free and receive autographs from the team afterward.

The Braves come into Saturday's game with a 5-15 overall record and a 1-8 conference record. Bradley's lone MVC win came against Southern Illinois in mid-January on a last-second shot from junior guard Nika Dorsey. The Braves are coming off a loss to Northern Iowa 105-59. Freshman Halli Poock led Bradley in points with 19 and dished out 4 assists. Senior Isis Fitch led the Braves on defense with five rebounds and finished second on offense with 13 points.

Despite a fast first half on offense, Evansville was not able to pick up its first Missouri Valley Conference win in a Sunday afternoon match up with the Valparaiso Beacons. Only 26.5% shooting in the second half stifled UE in the 70-59 loss. While the Aces' overall offense struggled over the weekend, three players scored in double-figures on Sunday afternoon. Guard Madlena Gerke, forward Nevaeh Thomas, and center Barbora Tomancova combined for 37 of Evansville's 59 points against the Beacons' defense.

Since returning to the lineup from a foot fracture in January, freshman forward Nevaeh Thomas has been an offensive leader for UE. Thomas is currently on a six-game double-figure scoring streak dating back to her return on January 14th. Along with her scoring streak, Thomas set a career-high in steals against Valpo with two in 27 minutes of action.

Junior guard Madlena Gerke had a season-best game on Sunday in the Aces contest with Valparaiso. Gerke became a focal point for Evansville's offense as she led UE at the free throw line. She set a season-high in points in 37 minutes with 12, coming just a basket shy of her career-high. Gerke did set one career-high with six made free throws on seven attempts.